The Open category disappears in 2016, with MotoGP just a single class again. Ducati, Honda and Yamaha are all running under the same rules – 22 liters of fuel, spec electronics, seven engines a season, limited testing, and engine development frozen. As factories which have yet to accumulate sufficient podiums, Aprilia and Suzuki will have unlimited testing and 12 engines a season, and the same fuel and electronics as Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

As ever, Bradley Smith provided the clearest explanation of the tires, expressing an opinion that was widely, but not universally shared. "The best way to describe the Bridgestone front is that it had a massive platform, it didn't really move as much," Smith said. "The tires didn't really flex and if it did flex, it was minimal. So the contact patch remained consistent all the way into the corner. Whereas the Michelin they have a slightly different construction process than the Bridgestone and they move a little bit, so you don't have that same contact feeling all the way into the corner, and there's a couple of places where it goes big – small – big – small, and that's where you have to be careful. It means just as a rider, you have to slow the entry process down by milliseconds, though for us it feels like a night and a day, and just respect it for what it needs to do. "

Where was the danger area for crashing with the Michelins? "It seems to be off-brake and initial touch of throttle. That seems to be the danger area. Actually on-brake seems to be ok. You just have to be a little bit smoother in that transition and pay a bit more attention." All of the current riders confirmed that it would take some mental remapping and adjustment to get used to the tires, and give themselves a better sense of what the tire can handle and what it can't.

Not everyone was unhappy with the front Michelins, however. "I'm really happy about the tires, the feel from the beginning is really good," said Andrea Iannone. "I'm a little bit surprised, because so many people talk about the tires as being worse compared to the Bridgestone, saying especially in front, it's a disaster... At the moment, the front tire for me is perfect."

The change Iannone had understood and learned to exploit was the way the rear tire helped in braking, taking some of the load from the front tire. Massive rear grip meant that he could use engine braking and rear brake to help slow the bike down, instead of trail braking into the corner and loading the front. "With the Bridgestone, it's really important you arrive with the braking in the middle of the corner. With this tire, no. Because the rear reduce the speed more compared to the Bridgestone. With Michelin you use more the rear tire, with the Bridgestone you use the front tire. It's two different styles." The Michelin front is not capable of withstanding the massive forces generated by trail braking very deep into corners at major lean angles. Riders were not getting much warning before the front let go, washing out and causing them to crash. But the grippy rear meant that the rear would still handle engine brake into the corner, slowing the bike with the rear tire rather than the front.